Complete list of press releases

(Riviera Maya, Mexico – March 8, 2018) With a growing list of adopters and endorsers, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Meloy Fund, and Encourage Capital today launched new guidelines for investing in global fisheries to drive needed capital into scaling sustainably managed fisheries and restoring our oceans to abundance. The announcement was made at the World Ocean Summit 2018.

Although billions of public and private dollars are invested in fisheries every year, more often than not, sustainability is neither the driver nor the intended outcome of those investment dollars. That means we are currently missing a major opportunity to solve the global overfishing and food security problem, which requires significantly more and better-aligned investment from a variety of capital providers.

The Principles for Investment in Sustainable Fisheries, are designed to do just that—to move new and sidelined capital into fishery investments, align that capital with responsible management, and give investors confidence that building environmental and social sustainability into fisheries will also yield a return on their investments. The Principles also train a spotlight on human rights for investors, especially when it comes to bringing new capital to small-scale fisheries and coastal communities. They have already been endorsed or adopted by more than 15 foundations, investment funds, project developers, and non-profit organizations.

“The Principles reinforce the notion that good management, science, and monitoring and enforcement are not only critical to sustainable fishing—but to sustainable investments, too,” said Amanda Leland, EDF Senior Vice President, Oceans. “Governance reform is the foundation of sustainable fisheries management and investment because it de-risks the system. Our hope is that these Principles will help drive investment and allow us to scale sustainable fisheries and restore our seas to health more quickly. That would be welcome news for hundreds of millions of people around the world, especially the poorest and most vulnerable communities that rely on the oceans to meet their most basic everyday needs.”

Momentum is building for the guidelines. The three major fisheries impact funds—Meloy Fund, Encourage Capital and Althelia Ecosphere—have agreed to adopt the Principles as founding adopters and apply them in investment decisions.

“Rare and the Meloy Fund decided to join forces with EDF and Encourage to co-author and become a founding adopter to these Principles because we are committed to establishing a sustainable wild-caught fisheries investment sector that prioritizes the best outcomes for ocean resources and fishing communities. We need to help define a common ground for the impact investing field and we are already applying these Principles routinely as part of our due diligence and supervision processes,” said Manuel Bueno, Fund Director at Meloy Fund.

The Principles apply globally to all debt and equity investment products deployed to finance a project and/or company, and where the project or company has or is expected to have an impact on wild-caught fisheries and their associated ecosystems and communities. Modeled after the Equator Principles, they complement existing guidelines and frameworks governing environmentally and socially responsible investment.

“Encourage is proud to be a part of the development of these sustainable fisheries Principles under the leadership of EDF. We believe these principles take into account the market-based research and practical experiences of commercial investment organizations that are trying to lead the way in demonstrating how deploying private capital into sustainable fishing and seafood companies is good for investors and good for the oceans,” said Jason Scott, Co-Managing Partner at Encourage Capital. 

“Althelia is a founding adopter of these Principles because we wholeheartedly believe that sustainable fisheries investing can bring about the best possible environmental and social outcomes: healthy oceans, nutritious food, good jobs,” said Simon Dent, New Ventures Director at Althelia Ecosphere. “We look forward to applying these Principles to support the Sustainable Ocean Fund’s investment activity and decisions.”

The Principles are expected to be endorsed by non-investor institutions such as non-profit organizations, project developers, philanthropic foundations, and other public and private stakeholders interested in promoting the sustainable management of fisheries through investment.

An up-to-date list of adopters and endorsers can be found at www.fisheriesprinciples.org.

The campaign to address New York’s traffic and transit crises got a major boost today when leading business, labor, environmental and transportation advocate organizations announced they are committing funds to advocate for a robust congestion pricing plan to be included as part of the State’s FY2019 budget, which is expected to be adopted by April 1.

 

The groups will focus resources on a communications campaign to engage the public and encourage the Governor and Legislature to adopt the recommendations developed by the Fix NYC Task Force, established by Governor Cuomo and released in January. The dual focuses of the campaign are the $20 billion cost to the regional economy of excess traffic congestion and the MTA’s unmet funding needs. The effort will begin with a digital advertising campaign to demonstrate why these groups, which represent diverse stakeholders and constituencies, all believe congestion pricing is essential to our region’s economic and environmental future.

 

The growing list of the participating groups currently includes: 

 

32BJ SEIU

Environmental Defense Fund

Move NY Coalition

New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council

Partnership for New York City

Real Estate Board of New York

Regional Plan Association

Transportation Alternatives

Uber

 

Our mass transit network is the region’s most critical infrastructure. It is proving time and again to be unable to service our record job and population growth. Low-income New Yorkers and outer borough residents, struggling to get to work each day, pay the price of an unreliable mass transit system. Riders and their employers are demanding solutions – they deserve action on the only plan on the table that will reduce traffic congestion and address the MTA’s funding needs.

 

Recommendations from the Fix NYC Plan that are endorsed by this coalition include:

• Imposing daily charge on vehicles moving through the Manhattan Central Business District;
• Investing the revenues raised from for-hire, commercial and passenger vehicles in fixing, upgrading and modernizing the mass transit system;
• Identifying and filling the needs for new transit services in areas that are underserved by the current system;
• Developing a value capture program with local governments to ensure that a portion of the revenue generated by major transit projects is dedicated to the MTA capital program;
• Improving enforcement of existing traffic laws through the use of cameras and other technology to address areas such as blocking the box, driving in the bus lanes, and double parking.
   

(WASHINGTON, DC – March 6, 2018) The Accelerating Innovative Conservation Technologies and Practices Act, introduced today by U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, directs the Department of Agriculture to update its process for adopting new and innovative conservation practices.

“USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs are only as effective as the science that guides their implementation. On-farm sustainability innovations often move faster than they can be codified into an agency’s rules and regulations, which hamstrings producers and NRCS staff.

“This bill streamlines the process for integrating technology advancements into conservation practice standards. These changes will improve farmers’ customer experience and environmental outcomes by allowing NRCS to direct funds to up-to-date best practices for soil health, nutrient management and water conservation.”

– Callie Eideberg, EDF Senior Policy Manager, Sustainable Agriculture

(WASHINGTON– March 1, 2018) Today, the Trump Administration and EPA Administrator Pruitt issued a damaging proposal that would rescind clean air protections that help to reduce harmful smog-forming pollution from the oil and gas sector. EPA itself estimates that withdrawal of the CTGs could lead to approximately 64,000 tons of annual VOC pollution and 200,000 tons of annual methane pollution.
 

“This move would put an estimated 25 million people who live in counties with dangerously unhealthy air at even greater risk from oil and gas related air pollution by rolling back measures that are flexible, cost-effective and that have been proven to work by leading states and responsible companies.”

• Matt Watson, Associate Vice President, Climate and Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund

Background

The oil and gas industry is the leading source of manmade Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are a key component of ground-level ozone, also known as smog. Smog is a dangerous air pollutant that can harm the respiratory system, aggravate asthma and other lung diseases, and is linked to early death from respiratory disease. Research has found that smog pollution from the oil and gas industry could be associated with an additional 750,000 summertime childhood asthma attacks across the country every year.

The measures EPA has now proposed to rescind—known as Control Techniques Guidelines (CTGs)—provide state and local air agencies with a blueprint of proven and cost-effective measures that can be used to reduce pollution from the oil and gas sector in areas that do not meet the ozone health standards. States can use these ready-made approaches or employ other state-specific solutions to help restore healthy air quality.

(WASHINGTON, DC – March 1, 2018) U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and John Thune, R-S.D., today introduced the Agriculture Data Act of 2018, which would aggregate and anonymize the farmer data that the Department of Agriculture already manages, making it accessible to land-grant university researchers while maintaining producer privacy.

“With access to USDA data, trusted researchers can transform siloed data points about conservation practices and risk reduction into meaningful information that farmers can use to increase profitability and build resilience to extreme weather. This bipartisan bill is a major step forward for producers.

“Longer term, USDA data availability will also help strengthen the federal crop insurance program by quantifying the impacts that conservation practices have on soil health, yield variability and climate resilience.”

– Callie Eideberg, EDF Senior Policy Manager, Ecosystems – Sustainable Agriculture

(WASHINGTON – March 1, 2018) – The monarch butterfly has a new chance at recovery, thanks to an innovative program seeking to crowdsource funding and habitat for the beloved species at an unprecedented scale and pace.

 

“The Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange is a market-based solution for restoring and conserving high-quality monarch habitat on America’s private working lands,” said David Wolfe, director of conservation strategy and habitat markets at Environmental Defense Fund. “We like to call it an ‘Airbnb for butterflies’ because it’s the only program of its kind that can open the vast untapped potential of large-scale farms and ranches to make habitat available for monarchs, fast.”

 

Studies estimate that the monarch butterfly’s population has declined by 95 percent since the 1980s.

 

“The monarch faces a June 2019 deadline for an Endangered Species Act listing decision,” Wolfe said. “To change the monarch’s trajectory and avoid the need for restrictive regulations that often accompany a listing, we need to restore millions of acres of native milkweed and wildflowers across the butterfly’s vast migration route.”

 

“Agricultural lands make up roughly half of the acreage required to recover the monarch,” Wolfe added, “so recruiting farmers and ranchers who manage these large-scale landscapes will be a game changer.”

 

Through the exchange, landowners are paid to create, maintain and improve habitat on their property through a variety of restoration activities.

 

“The exchange incorporates robust science, close monitoring and transparent reporting to ensure that each dollar achieves the most bang for the buck, and for the butterfly,” Wolfe said.

 

Potential investors and donors include food, chemical and seed companies, state farm bureaus, wildlife agencies, philanthropic organizations and concerned citizens. All funds raised through the exchange are directed to Biodiversity Works, a Texas-based nonprofit responsible for administering the program.

 

“We anticipate a broad range of private and public funding sources from various companies, associations and individuals looking to achieve corporate sustainability goals, maximize conservation outcomes, and ensure that the monarch butterfly stays off the endangered species list,” Wolfe said.

 

Smithfield Foods, a global food company that is also the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor, is the first food company to participate in the program, contributing $300,000 to restore key prairie habitat for monarchs in Missouri. Smithfield invested in this project because of its multiple sustainability benefits, including providing habitat for pollinators, water quality benefits, carbon sequestration and biomass for biogas revenue.

 

“Participating in the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange is a commitment to our employees, our producers, and our customers who care about wildlife and the multiple other environmental benefits that this program will achieve,” said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables and Hog Production Division Environmental Affairs for Smithfield Foods. “We want to do our part to make sure that monarchs continue to thrive and play their significant role in our ecosystem.”

 

The exchange is currently focused on developing projects in Missouri, Texas and California. Projects range from full prairie restoration to supplemental planting of milkweed within marginal agricultural fields. Milkweed is vital to monarch success, since butterflies lay their eggs and caterpillars feed exclusively on the milky sap-filled plant.

 

Amy Greer is a sixth-generation rancher in Brady, Texas. She and her husband, George, decided to participate in the exchange to help re-establish native milkweed and wildflowers on their ranch. Amy is also a trained wildlife biologist.

 

“George and I both understand how important ecological diversity is for all the plants, animals, insects and birds that live here on the ranch aside from us and our cattle,” Amy said. “We also understand the importance of pollinators to the larger food system, so anything we can do to improve habitat for bees and butterflies is important to us.”

 

Landowners, agribusiness leaders, philanthropic foundations and concerned citizens can help support projects on the ground by contacting the exchange or donating through the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange website.

 

Visit www.monarchhabitatexchange.org to learn more. 

(WASHINGTON – February 28, 2018) The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted this morning to advance S. 1520, a bill that as currently written includes dangerous provisions that would undermine important conservation tools, regional fishery management, and the nation’s commercial fishing industry. The legislation has drawn strong opposition from commercial fishermen, chefs and environmentalists. Those concerns were echoed by Senators Cantwell, Markey, Blumenthal, Udall, and Cortez-Masto, all of whom requested that their opposition be recorded. (Links to letters submitted by these groups expressing concerns with S. 1520 are included at the bottom of the statement.) 

The following is a statement from Matt Tinning, Senior Director, U.S. Oceans Program, Environmental Defense Fund. 

“We strongly support real solutions that improve the access and experience of recreational saltwater anglers. Unfortunately, S.1520 fails to address the root causes of angler frustration, while undermining regional fishery management and key commercial fisheries, and limiting the use of successful conservation tools like catch shares. 

“Senators should instead focus on encouraging regionally-driven efforts to pioneer real solutions for recreational fisheries management. We are grateful to Senators Cantwell, Markey, Blumenthal, Udall, and Cortez-Masto for registering their concerns with the bill as written, and we look forward to working with all Senators to help ensure that our nation’s fisheries continue to be the most sustainable and successful in the world.” 

Click here for a collection of letters expressing concerns with S. 1520 from more than 30 commercial fishing organizations. 
Click here for a letter from seven leading environmental organizations.
Click here for a letter from more than 150 prominent U.S. chefs. 

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) today approved Commonwealth Edison’s (ComEd) $25-million microgrid project and agreement to create a first-of-its-kind tariff, which will give non-utilities the opportunity to use ComEd’s existing wires to develop microgrids.

In response to concerns raised by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), and others, ComEd made many improvements to its original proposal to build a microgrid in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, including that the utility will maximize distributed energy resources like solar panels and will not seek to own those resources. Moreover, ComEd will work with EDF and CUB to develop an innovative tariff that will allow third parties to create and manage localized power grids that can disconnect from the centralized grid, known as microgrids. Utilities have traditionally controlled electricity delivery, but this decision starts the process for new, competitive players to enter the microgrid game.

“As smaller, more resilient power systems, microgrids offer endless possibilities: They can advance the use of clean energy, act as a platform for smart cities, or allow neighbors to share excess power from their rooftop solar. We’re excited about the opportunities that customer-owned microgrids provide, and look forward to working with ComEd to make that future a reality.”

• Christie Hicks, Manager, Clean Energy Regulatory Implementation

“If we want to achieve a more reliable and affordable energy future, microgrids could potentially be part of the solution. We’re pleased that ComEd has improved its proposal and we look forward to working with the utility and consumer advocates. We want to take full advantage of this opportunity to better learn how cost-effective microgrids can advance clean energy and ultimately improve the lives of electric customers.”

• David Kolata, Executive Director, Citizens Utility Board

(Washington, D.C. – February 27, 2018) EDF has formally asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “abandon its misguided effort to repeal the [Clean Power Plan].”

EDF submitted comments to EPA last night in response to the agency’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) – a step EPA is taking as it considers whether to replace the Clean Power Plan with a different proposal for limiting the pollution that causes climate change.

“EDF urges EPA to withdraw this ANPR and to abandon its misguided effort to repeal the [Clean Power Plan],” EDF said in its comments. “Almost eleven years after the Supreme Court first recognized EPA’s authority and responsibility under the [Clean Air Act] to address the urgent threat of climate change, it is long past time for EPA to implement and strengthen the [Clean Power Plan]. Instead, Administrator Scott Pruitt has sought to repeal the [Clean Power Plan] outright, without even making a firm commitment to put in place a meaningful replacement. And the Administrator has launched a protracted and unnecessary process – beginning with this ANPR – that is clearly designed to ensure that any ‘replacement’ for the CPP, if it is completed at all, will deliver limited or no benefits for our climate or public health.”

EDF also joined a coalition of 14 health, environmental, and citizens groups to submit comments to EPA, saying:

“The Administrator’s slow-walking approach and the artificially narrow emission-reduction measures constitute an unlawful shirking of his duty under the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions of dangerous pollutants. Especially given the urgent hazards of climate change, the agency’s failure to comply with its statutory mission to protect public health and the environment is unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious.”

The Appalachian Mountain Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Clean Air Council, Clean Air Task Force, Clean Wisconsin, Conservation Law Foundation, Earthjustice, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and the Union of Concerned Scientists joined EDF in submitting those comments.

The Clean Power Plan would limit carbon pollution from power plants. It is the single largest step the U.S. has ever taken to address the threat of climate change. The Trump Administration itself determined that repealing the Clean Power Plan could cause up to 4,500 more premature deaths and 90,000 more childhood asthma attacks each year by 2030.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt released a proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan in October of last year.

In December, Pruitt also announced the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) – a step usually taken when a federal agency is considering whether or not protections are needed and has little or no information available to inform its approach. The ANPR asked for public comment about what a replacement for the Clean Power Plan should be, even though EPA had already held extensive public hearings and received more than four million comments while developing the Clean Power Plan.

(WASHINGTON – February 26, 2018) Members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee are preparing to vote on a fisheries bill, S. 1520, which has drawn broad concern and opposition from commercial fishermen, chefs and environmentalists. 

Today the Environmental Defense Fund joined five other environmental organizations to urge members of the Senate’s Commerce Committee to vote “No” on Wednesday when the bill is scheduled to be considered. National commercial fishing organizations and more than 150 prominent chefs have also alerted the committee to their concerns with the legislation. (Links to their letters are included below.)

The following is a statement from Matt Tinning, Senior Director, U.S. Oceans Program, Environmental Defense Fund. 

“We strongly support real solutions that improve the access and experience of recreational saltwater anglers. Unfortunately, S.1520 fails to address the root causes of angler frustration, while endangering key commercial fisheries and undermining conservation standards.

“Senators should oppose S. 1520 and the threat to our nation’s seafood industry that it represents. Senators should instead encourage regionally-driven efforts to pioneer real solutions for recreational fisheries management.”

Click here for a collection of letters expressing concerns with S. 1520 from more than 30 commercial fishing organizations. 
Click here for a letter from more than 150 prominent U.S. chefs. 
Click here for an analysis of S. 1520 from Monica Goldberg of Environmental Defense Fund. 

NEWS RELEASE

A U.S. District Court has ruled against Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s attempt to delay the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Waste Prevention Rule.

EDF and a coalition of conservation and tribal citizen groups had asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for a preliminary injunction to prevent Zinke from delaying the rule.

Federal District Court Judge William Orrick granted the request last night, noting:

Plaintiffs have provided several reasons that the Suspension Rule is arbitrary and capricious, both for substantive reasons, as a result of the lack of a reasoned analysis, and procedural ones, due to the lack of meaningful notice and comment. They have demonstrated irreparable harm and that the balance of equities and public interest strongly favor issuing the preliminary injunction sought. Because I conclude that they have met their burden on each element, I GRANT Plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of the Suspension Rule.” (Order, page 29)

“The court’s decision to block Secretary Zinke’s unlawful suspension ensures the Waste Prevention Rule remains in place, protecting tribes, ranchers and families across the West,” said EDF Lead Attorney Peter Zalzal. “The protections restored by this decision will help to prevent the waste of natural gas, reduce harmful methane, smog-forming and toxic pollution, and ensure communities and tribes have royalty money that can be used to construct roads and schools.”

The court rejected Zinke’s reasoning for the suspension, instead finding that, “it appears that BLM is simply casually ignoring all of its previous findings [in support of the Waste Prevention Rule] and arbitrarily changing course.” (Order, page 17, quotation omitted). The court also recognized the harm that Zinke’s suspension would cause to the public, including “the waste of publicly owned natural gas, increased air pollution and associated health impacts, and exacerbated climate impacts.” (Order, page 2)

BLM’s Waste Prevention Rule requires oil and gas companies operating on federal and tribal lands to take common-sense measures to reduce preventable leaks and flaring of methane, the primary component of natural gas.

The rule reduces emissions of methane, which is a potent driver of climate change, along with other unhealthy pollutants. Between 2009 and 2015, oil and gas companies wasted enough natural gas to supply more than 6.2 million homes for an entire year.

The Trump Administration has tried repeatedly to suspend the Waste Prevention Rule. Their earlier efforts were rejected by both the courts and Congress.

Then in December of 2017, Zinke issued a rule delaying implementation of the Waste Prevention Rule until January of 2019. EDF and its allies challenged Zinke’s delay. Declarations from a broad coalition of Western government officials, landowners, and tribal officials were filed in support of that request.

The states of California and New Mexico likewise challenged the delay and asked the court to stop Zinke’s unlawful action.

Last night the court granted that request and issued a preliminary injunction. The court also rejected requests to move the case to a court in Wyoming, which means the U.S. District Court in Northern California will now hear the case on the merits. The date for those arguments has not yet been set.

Separately, Zinke proposed last week to rescind many of the same protections that he previously sought to suspend. BLM will accept public comments on that proposal for 60 days.

EDF was joined in court by the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Earthworks, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation, Citizens for a Healthy Community, Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Fort Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights, Montana Environmental Information Center, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Wilderness Workshop, Wildearth Guardians, and Wyoming Outdoor Council, as well as by the Attorneys General of California and New Mexico.

You can find more information – including all legal documents – on EDF’s website.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced today that GBCI, the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally, is now administering certifications for commercial and multifamily projects pursuing the Investor Confidence Project’s (ICP) Investor Ready Energy Efficiency (IREE) certification. As an underwriting standard for energy efficiency projects, ICP works to increase confidence in the predicted energy and financial savings for building owners and investors, and helps companies and governments as they work toward their climate change goals by giving them tools to reduce building emissions.

“Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of all energy use, so if we are going to continue reducing U.S. emissions, we must utilize tools and resources that allow us to standardize our approach,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI. “ICP plays an important role in helping buildings improve and uncover efficiency opportunities. The program delivers confidence to the market.”

“At a time when businesses and cities around the world are making commitments to fight climate change, reducing energy use in buildings is essential,” said Andy Darrell, chief of strategy, Global Energy and Finance at Environmental Defense Fund. “ICP’s integration into the GBCI platform offers a system for investors and developers to tap into the trillion dollar energy efficiency market, and will help cities value the energy efficiency upgrades they’ll need to reduce carbon emissions.”

Energy efficiency projects often face challenges because they are not prepared or packaged consistently, making it difficult to compare potential projects for investment decisions and track results. ICP applies a standard method for engineering, documenting, evaluating and implementing projects. The IREE certification system provides a roadmap to help projects and investors reduce transaction costs and engineering overhead through industry-accepted best practices. An ICP certification training is now available and provides the basic knowledge of ICP methodology, protocols and tools, and outlines how to develop projects to obtain IREE certification. 

ICP’s integration into the GBCI portfolio of rating systems, which includes the LEED green building program, will further help drive change and work toward carbon reduction goals. Through GBCI, ICP is supporting the adoption of green business practices and serves as a complement to GBCI programs, like LEED, GRESB, SITES and others.

“Global investment in energy efficiency continues to grow and investors need to feel confident that a project will provide a reliable financial and environmental return while reducing operating costs,” said Panama Bartholomy, director, Investor Confidence Project. “GBCI provides a streamlined experience as projects work toward IREE certification that will ultimately help building owners and managers improve performance.”

ICP provides access to more than 70 project developers, who are a part of its growing Project Developer Network, and have the necessary credentials and experience to develop IREE projects. Through ICP’s Investor and Ally Networks, more than 200 leaders in finance, engineering and real estate have endorsed the program’s standards and approach to increasing investment in energy efficiency. ICP was originally conceived, incubated, developed and deployed by EDF.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today issued an order requiring that grid operators allow energy storage to participate in wholesale markets, where electricity is bought and sold. The order, however, did not provide a similar pathway to participation for distributed energy resources. FERC will instead hold a technical conference on the subject in early April.

“Giving energy storage the same opportunity to compete in the marketplace as other resources like gas and coal will help make electricity more affordable, clean, and reliable for Americans. Distributed energy like rooftop solar and microgrids can provide similar benefits, and FERC should quickly and concretely take steps to provide access for these resources.”

EDF and other environmental organizations previously filed comments in support of a proposed order that would have provided access to energy storage and distributed energy resource aggregations, citing evidence that eliminating barriers to access for these resources would enhance competition and make electricity rates more just and reasonable.

• Michael Panfil, Director of Federal Energy Policy and Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund

(February 15, 2018) EDF joined other conservation and tribal citizen groups in district court yesterday to try to stop the waste of a valuable resource.

The groups sought to block Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s efforts to suspend the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Waste Prevention Rule, which requires oil and gas companies operating on federal and tribal lands to take common-sense actions to reduce preventable leaks and flaring of methane, the primary component of natural gas.

“We presented a detailed case to the court arguing that Secretary Zinke’s action to suspend the Waste Prevention Rule is unlawful and is causing immediate and irreparable harm to communities and families across the West,” said EDF Lead Attorney Peter Zalzal. “Suspending the rule puts more dangerous pollution into the air, including smog-forming volatile organic compounds and cancer-causing benzene, and it costs communities and tribes money needed for schools and roads.”

By reducing the waste of natural gas, BLM’s Waste Prevention Rule also reduces emissions of methane, which is a potent driver of climate change, and other unhealthy pollutants. Between 2009 and 2015, oil and gas companies wasted enough natural gas on federal and tribal lands to supply more than 6.2 million homes for an entire year.

The Trump Administration has tried repeatedly to suspend the Waste Prevention Rule. Their earlier efforts were rejected by both the courts and Congress.

Yesterday’s oral argument was in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The court heard EDF and allies’ challenge to Secretary Zinke’s decision in December 2017 to issue a rule delaying implementation of the Waste Prevention Rule until January of 2019. The states of California and New Mexico have likewise challenged Zinke’s suspension, and the parties are asking the court to take swift action to block it.

Separately, Secretary Zinke proposed this week to rescind many of the same protections that he previously sought to suspend. BLM will accept public comments on that proposal for 60 days.

EDF was joined in court yesterday by the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Earthworks, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation, Citizens for a Healthy Community, Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Fort Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights, Montana Environmental Information Center, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Wilderness Workshop, Wildearth Guardians, and Wyoming Outdoor Council, as well as by the Attorneys General of California and New Mexico.

You can find more information – including all legal documents – on EDF’s website.

(Feb. 15, 2018) – Methane emissions from Pennsylvania’s oil and gas sites may be more than five times higher than what oil and gas companies report to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), according to a new analysis from Environmental Defense Fund.

EDF analysis shows more than five million tons of methane pollution could be emitted by 2025, absent action from the state. Visit edf.org/PennsylvaniaMethane.

Methane is both a powerful climate pollutant and the primary ingredient of natural gas. The EDF analysis estimates Pennsylvania’s oil and gas operators emit more than 520,000 tons of methane a year, primarily from leaky, outdated and malfunctioning equipment. This wasted gas causes the same near-term climate pollution as 11 coal-fired power plants, and results in nearly $68 million worth of wasted energy resources.

• WATCH: Infrared footage reveals pollution leaking from Pennsylvania gas sites »

The EDF analysis is based on peer-reviewed scientific research conducted at the state’s oil and gas sites in order to estimate the total amount of methane industry emits. The state’s published methane inventory, on the other hand, is based on data reported to DEP by operators, which significantly underestimate emissions, as not all facilities are required to report their pollution and operators who do report tend to use outdated methods for estimating emissions.

Pennsylvania's methane history

DEP announced it will finalize methane reduction requirements for new and modified oil and gas facilities by the end of March. The department also committed to regulating emissions from thousands of existing unconventional facilities within the next two months. EDF’s analysis finds this could reduce the state’s emissions by 25% — making bold action all the more urgent.

“We are pleased that the Wolf administration continues to promise bold action on methane. Pennsylvanians have known for quite some time that unchecked oil and gas pollution is making air quality and climate change worse, and now we have new insight as to just how severe and urgent this problem is,” said Andrew Williams, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs at Environmental Defense Fund. “There is a clear, reasonable and cost-effective path forward for reducing the health, climate and economic risks of oil and gas emissions, and we look forward to working with Governor Wolf to make it happen for Pennsylvania’s communities.”

The EDF analysis also estimates oil and gas companies emit more than 54,000 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – nearly nine times more than oil and gas operators report to the state. VOCs contribute to higher ground-level ozone or “smog” levels in the region and can trigger asthma, respiratory illness and other health problems, particularly for people living in close proximity to oil and gas sites.

Continuing state progress

While the Wolf administration has committed to acting on methane pollution from unconventional wells, DEP has not made any proposal to address pollution from older, conventional wells. According to the EDF analysis, conventional wells are responsible for a significant part of the industry’s methane emissions, and suggests some level of state intervention will be necessary to significantly reduce this harmful pollution in the long term.

The analysis concludes Pennsylvania can reduce 60% of industry’s methane emissions by implementing a series of strategies already required in other oil- and gas-producing states. Without additional regulatory action from the state, more than five million tons of methane pollution could be emitted by the year 2025.

Visualizing data, exploring solutions

The EDF emissions analysis includes an online toolkit developed by Spherical Analytics that allows users to get a county-by-county view of pollution levels, as well as access information about nearby well sites and the number of schools and medical facilities located near oil and gas operations. Users can also compare the state’s reported emissions with EDF’s science-based estimates.

The interactive tool includes a feature that allows users to compare and model a variety of different pollution control tactics. They are based on real, cost-effective solutions other states have implemented in order to significantly reduce pollution, including:

• Check equipment for unintentional gas leaks at least once a quarter;
• Replace high-emitting equipment with new technologies that pollute less;
• Apply emission controls to future and existing facilities.

The full report is now available online at edf.org/PennsylvaniaMethane